Anti-Saudi Arabian sentiment

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Anti-Saudi sentiment or Anti-Saudi Arabian sentiment refers to the historical and current resentment towards Saudi Arabia, Saudis, or Culture of Saudi Arabia. It's also called Saudiophobia and Anti-Saudiism.

Anti-Saudi sentiment has been exclusive and widely practiced among other countries in the world, which have shown great disapproval of what Saudi Arabia is doing. Some reasons leading to anti-Saudi sentiment include human rights abuse, censorship, terrorism and, more specifically, the Salafism. Many countries, including Muslim ones, have long viewed Saudi Arabia as an evil oasis which is the cause of global terrorism and fear in the world.

History

In the 19th century, after the First Saudi State was demolished by the Ottoman Empire in the Wahhabi War, the Ottomans accused the Saud family of religious terrorism and intolerance, and executed a number of Saudi religious leaders. This was the first time anti-Saudi sentiment was directly demonstrated. Due to the Saudis being majority followers of Wahhabism, an extreme version of Islam, this gave birth to modern anti-Saudi sentiment.

Since the 20th century and the booming of the oil industry, Saudi Arabia became the world's largest oil producer and is one of the richest countries in the world. Using money from producing oil, Saudi Arabia began a series of Salafization processes, funding, building and establishing Salafi-based institutions and mosques not just in the Muslim world, but also in non-Muslim countries. As a result, Saudi Arabia-funded institutions were thought to have given birth to Islamic terrorism which led to growing criticisms not just from the non-Muslim world, but even from Muslim states which accused Saudi Arabia of being the cause of spreading terrorism, thus marking the height of Saudiophobia, despite Saudi efforts to whitewash its image.

Anti-Saudi sentiment also stemmed from many Muslim countries that see Saudi Arabia as a "Zionist entity" allying with Israel to cause destabilization across other Muslim nations; Zionism is also frequently used to connect Saudi Arabia as an ally of Israel and a traitor to Islam, worsening the perception of Saudi Arabia. Some believed that, if not for Saudi Arabia, Islam would not be hated so much today and that Islamophobia was the result of Saudi terrorism.

By countries

Muslim world

In Muslim countries, with the exception of the Gulf in majority (outside Qatar), most Muslim countries hold Saudi Arabia responsible for the corruption of Islam, its betrayal of the Palestinian cause and the rise of global Islamophobia, blaming Saudi Arabia for all the messes in the Islamic world.

Egypt

Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt's first President, stated that "Shoe has more honor than the Crown of Saudi Arabia" and condemned Saudi Arabia for its hypocrisies.

Many Egyptians also held strong disdain against Saudi Arabia, accusing it of being the source of all terrorism in the world, since Saudi Arabia had refused to support Egypt in its conflicts with Israel and furthermore, sided with anti-Egyptian forces in the North Yemen Civil War. Many Egyptians also believe Saudi Arabia is responsible for the corruption of Islam in Egypt and the spread of intolerance, due to its backing for Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the current military dictator of Egypt. Egypt also refused to back the Saudi-led anti-Iranian coalition in fear that Saudi Arabia might use Egypt as a shield for its interests, further highlighting the fear of Saudi interference in Egypt.

Algeria

Many Algerians harbor the view that Saudi Arabia was directly responsible for the Algerian Civil War, and the spread of terrorism in Algeria has partly dated back to Saudi Arabia's lucrative role in sponsoring the Islamists; many would become radicalized and become the core of Al-Qaeda there.

Thus, in Algeria, depictions of Saudis have been centered around the fact that Saudi Arabia is a terrorist and dangerous country with restless terrorism, which led to a growing wave of anti-Saudi sentiment especially since the Mohammed Bin Salman era.

Afghanistan

Ahmad Shah Massoud, who fought in the Afghan Civil War, stated that Saudi Arabia was the reason why the Taliban could sustain such a long war, and called for war against Saudi Arabia and its interests because of Saudi terrorist ideology. Many Afghans also harbor disdain against Saudi Arabia because of terrorism in the country.

Iraq

Iraq has long had tensions toward Saudi Arabia, dating back to the 1950s. However, it only exploded during the Gulf War, when Iraq launched a military invasion against Kuwait, the ally of Saudi Arabia. Saddam Hussein had called for war against Saudi Arabia, accusing the state of being infidels who stabbed Iraq in the back.

In the modern contemporary era, Saudi Arabia is still being depicted negatively in Iraq; many Iraqis believe the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as well as other terrorist groups are the work of Saudi clergy and Islamic institutions.

Palestine

For Palestinians, accusations against Saudi Arabia have been mostly directed toward Saudi Arabia's close relationship with Israel, which is regarded as an enemy by many Palestinians.

After a Saudi blogger and government supporter, Mohammed Saud, arrived in Israel in accordance with boosting Saudi–Israeli relations, Palestinians reacted furiously and considered it an act of Saudi hypocrisy, the worst thing Saudi Arabia could do.

Turkey

See also: Wahhabi War

Turkey has one of the lowest favorability ratings toward Saudi Arabia in the Muslim world, and this stems from the Ottoman past when the Ottomans destroyed the First Saudi State and beheaded many Saudi leaders. For this reason, Saudi Arabia has always been perceived in a negative light by the Turks.

Another piece of evidence of growing hostility against Saudis among Turks came from the Saudi educational attempt to erase the Ottoman past, its authoritarianism, and a general lack of respect for women among some Saudis in Turkey. Some Turks also believed the Saudis have been supported by the West to provide terrorism, further straining relations between the Turks and Saudis. Racism against Saudis is widespread in Turkey.

Iran

See also: Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict

Iran and Saudi Arabia have a long history of antagonism toward each other. While it was rooted in the history of the Arab conquest, it became tense since the Iranian Revolution and the Iranian desire to expand its revolution to other Muslim countries.

In Iran, regardless of the position of the Iranian Government and the Iranian people, both share a similar hostility against Saudi Arabia. While the Islamic regime of Iran considers Saudi Arabia a Western stooge, infidel, and un-Islamic; the Iranian population regards Saudi Arabia as the source of global terrorism and its hawkish desire to create war against Iran. This is mingled together to create a nationalist and Islamist frontier, and Saudi Arabia has become a scapegoat for Iranian hardliners.

Tunisia

Many Tunisians have long disapproved of Saudi influence and its regime, considering it a terrible government. Furthermore, Tunisia is supportive of the Arab Spring movement which started in Tunisia, while Saudi Arabia is hostile toward it, thus leading to growing tensions between Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

Tunisians objected to Mohammed Bin Salman's visit in 2018, considering it a human rights violation and a direct fear of growing Saudi meddling in Tunisian affairs.

Yemen

See also: Saudi–Yemeni War (1934) and Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen

There are long-standing tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, in particular after the Yemeni war with Saudi Arabia in 1934. Some Yemeni nationalists believe they are the rightful owners of Najran, Asir, and Jizan; the Saudis were foreigners who stole their ancestral lands. This gave birth to anti-Saudi sentiment in Yemen. This, in particular, has also been seen from the Houthi movement, a Zaydi Shi'a-based movement mingled with Yemeni nationalism that desired to redraw the border and reclaim its territories from Saudi Arabia. It became frequent since the Yemeni Civil War and subsequent Saudi air raids against the Houthis.

Syria

See also: Saudi Arabian involvement in the Syrian Civil War

There is also a strong anti-Saudi sentiment in Syria, in particular since the Syrian Civil War, although it had dated back to the 20th century. Saudi Arabia has armed and trained the Free Syrian Army in the hope of expelling the forces loyal to the dictator Bashar al-Assad, but because of its alignment with ISIS funding, Saudi Arabia became the target for all calamities in Syria.

Due to terrorist bases in Syria having links with Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has accused Saudi Arabia of terrorizing Syria and arming ISIS, and demanded that Saudi Arabia get out of Syria.

Qatar

See also: Qatar diplomatic crisis

Qatar and Saudi Arabia had once been in line until 2017 when Saudi Arabia cut ties with Qatar and ignited regional tensions. Due to this, hostility against Saudis increased among Qataris, who saw Saudi Arabia as a traitor that worked out of greed for interests, disregarding Gulf unity.

Anti-Saudi postures are increasingly found in Qatari-backed media and propaganda, which were the result of restless tensions between the two states.

Morocco

Although Saudi Arabia and Morocco have fine relations, Moroccans have long been cautious of Saudi influence because of its Salafism. Saudi Arabia has always been distrusted by Moroccan nationalists, ranging from its Islamic doctrine and terrorism to the Palestinian issue and Arab disunity. However, it came to a peak in 2017 when Saudi Arabia, displeased with Morocco's neutrality over Qatar, began to broadcast a series of media disregarding Moroccan territorial control over Western Sahara, refusing to back Morocco in the 2026 FIFA World Cup bids, and warming relations with rival Algeria. This increased hostility against Saudis, and Moroccans chanted anti-Saudi jeers and booed the Saudi anthem at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Indonesia

A part of Indonesian Muslims belongs to traditional Sufism, while Salafism has arrived in recent years due to close ties between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. This prompted the rise of religious intolerance, as Indonesians of Sufi faith reacted with hostility against increasing Indonesian Salafis, who were accused of ruining Indonesian traditions. Indonesian Salafis and Sufis have been living uncomfortably together, marked by heavy disputes between their versions of faith in the country. There has been a recent rise in clashes between Salafists and Sufi orders in the country.

As Salafism has strong backing from Saudi Arabia, tensions loomed. Following the Surabaya bombings in 2018, Indonesian Muslims spread anti-Saudi sentiment in accordance with their extreme disdain for Saudi Arabia's infiltration into Indonesian society.

Rest of the world

Like many Muslim countries, non-Muslim nations view Saudi Arabia with great disdain due to human rights issues, its terrorist background, and oil money. Negativity about Saudi Arabia has frequently ranged from political bribery to the killing of dissidents, as well as terrorism and Salafist funding crackdowns.

United States

Although being a strong ally of Saudi Arabia, the majority of Americans dislike Saudi Arabia, ranging from government officials to the American population. Many Americans believed Saudi Arabia was behind the September 11 attacks. While the U.S. Government, especially under Donald Trump, has sought to preserve this relationship, anti-Saudi measures have been passed several times in the United States Congress as a response to ongoing Saudi terrorist links and destabilization in the region.

Australia

Many Australians hold Saudis as uneducated, uncivilized, immoral, terrorists, and incapable, as demonstrated by their disrespectful behavior during the 2018 World Cup qualification encounter between the two nations, when the host offered one minute of silence for victims of the 2017 London Bridge attack.

China

Although friendly, the Chinese are likewise skeptical of Saudi Arabia, demonstrated by their lingering distrust of the Saudi government due to its links to Islamic terrorism. Recent Saudi investment in China, notably its Muslim population, was initially welcomed by the Chinese government as an exchange for Saudi Arabia's support for joining the One Belt, One Road initiative, but it soon became a frightening moment when a growing number of mosques in China became increasingly flooded with Salafist and Wahhabist doctrines. This prompted China to begin monitoring and restricting Islamic activities, resulting in the persecution of many Muslims, including Salafis, as Chinese officials cannot distinguish the differences between Islamic sects in the country.

Nigeria

See also: Islamic extremism in Northern Nigeria

Nigeria is a country where half of the population are Muslims and half are Christians. This dynamic population often results in religious clashes among Muslims and Christians, in particular due to recent Saudi involvement in the rise of the Izala Society, which has been seen to have spread Saudi influence. The Izala Society is believed to have influenced Boko Haram into a radicalization process, although unlike Boko Haram, Izala is more accepting of the plural and dynamic society of Nigeria.

India

Currently, India and Saudi Arabia enjoy a friendly relationship, with Saudi Arabia remaining silent over issues regarding Kashmir and India's large Muslim population, and having recently participated in a movement against anti-Indian sentiment. However, the relationship between the two was quite rocky at the start.

During the series of Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts, Saudi Arabia supported its rival Pakistan in all conflicts, especially during the 1965 and 1971 wars when Saudi Arabia delivered arms to Pakistan. This has often prompted distrust of Saudi Arabia among Indians, even among Indian Muslims.

In 2020, Saudi religious scholars called for the expulsion of Indian Hindus from the Gulf, which prompted criticisms in India.

Canada

Following the political disputes between Canada and Saudi Arabia in 2018 over human rights, Saudi Arabia launched an anti-Canadian campaign, defaming Canada in the process by expelling the Canadian ambassador and recalling students back home, relative to women's rights. This led to anger and a spat among Canadians and a surge of anti-Saudi sentiment in Canada.

United Kingdom

In 2020, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Saudi Arabia over human rights abuses; this was the first time an anti-Saudi act was passed by the British government.

Russia

Distrust of Saudi Arabia began during the Second Chechen War, when Chechen Salafists, led by Shamil Basayev, invaded (and failed) Dagestan. The Chechen invasion was a watershed moment that fueled Russian military campaigns against the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, as, by 1999, it had become increasingly influenced by Saudi Arabia's Salafism. Saudi Arabia was also found to have financed the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya in order to make the region fall prey to Saudi Wahhabism. Due to this, after Russia reconquered Chechnya in 2000, Russia began a series of anti-Salafist processes to remove all Saudi and Wahhabi traits in Russia.

In 2016, Russia covertly approved an Islamic conference held in Grozny, where Russian officials, including many Muslim scholars, openly denounced Saudi Arabia, thus sparking tensions between Russia and Saudi Arabia over Islamic hegemony.

Germany

Saudi Arabia's open support for Salafists has recently strained the relationship with Germany, which has been reluctant to participate in conflicts regarding the Middle East, with German officials finding that Saudi Arabia is funding Islamic extremism in German universities.

Sri Lanka

Following the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings, where a Saudi-linked group surfaced as the mastermind of the bombing following leaked information and alleged Saudi support for the attack, Sri Lanka started to shut down mosques with links to Saudi Arabia.

France

France has the largest Muslim population in Europe, accounting for 5-8% of its population. In recent years, Saudi Arabia has invested in the Muslim community of France, where it also helped spread Islamic radicalism. This has sparked criticism over Saudi Arabia's infiltration attempt and prompted France to take more restrictive measures on Saudi Arabia's religious activities.

Connection to anti-Salafism/Wahhabism

Main article: International propagation of Salafism and Wahhabism

Scholars have pointed out the strong connection of the Salafi movement to the rise of anti-Saudi sentiment. As Saudi Arabia is the largest sponsor of Salafi Islam, it is also the culprit, in the majority, for increasing Islamic radicalization and terrorism. Thus, as a result of increasing resentment, attacks against Saudi interests often come together with attacks against Salafist and Wahhabist Islamism as part of a wider Islamic dilemma. Thus, anti-Saudi Arabian sentiment is often synonymous with anti-Salafism/anti-Wahhabism.

Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict analyst Nava Nuraniyah has commented about this connection after observing an anti-Salafi campaign in Aceh that "Traditionalists see themselves being swamped by Salafi groups that flocked to Aceh after the 2004 tsunami," and, as a result, the inner struggle between Islamic sects often became violent: "They claim to be opposing ‘Wahhabi’ intolerance, but their own campaign risks becoming intolerant as they mobilise supporters to attack modernist mosques and schools."

On the other hand, Saudi Arabia has been accused of doing very little to stop its spread, and even of rallying to help spread it. As in Turkey and Indonesia, for example, Salafist schools, with funds from Saudi Arabia, have had a paralyzing effect on the unity among Muslim sects and created a divisive situation where Salafists often try to confirm their "purity" of Islamism while rejecting other sects. There were attempts by Saudi Arabia to contain the spreading of Salafism, but since it has occupied too much power within the Saudi clergy and its Islamic institutions to the point that it became a sacred part of Saudi Arabia, it has been unsuccessful by and large.

The recent repression by Mohammed Bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince, has also led to the growing boycott of Saudi control over Mecca and Medina.

There has been criticism over the comparison of Saudi Arabia to Salafist terrorism. According to the New York Times's Mohammed Alyahya, it is not just Salafist-based terrorists, but also a lot of Deobandi terrorist groups, notably the Taliban, that are responsible for the messes, while defending Saudi Arabia for its role in safeguarding security.

View from Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia considers anti-Saudi sentiment a form of racism and discrimination and has rejected the notion of Saudi Arabia being discriminated against, asserting that Saudi Arabia has been an innocent country that doesn't spread hatred or segregation in spite of criticisms of the Kingdom. Virtually, it is common to see Saudi citizens publishing support for the government's policies and defending it from all forms of criticism, even spreading the idea of Saudi Arabia being the rightful guardian of truth and justice, and dismissing all international reports about the country, as evidenced by the mourning of Abdulaziz Al-Fagham, a Saudi bodyguard, for his protection of the royal family.

See also

• Sufi–Salafi relations
• Arabophobia
• Racism

External links

• Saudi Arabia: Terrorist Financing Issues
• The Quartermasters Of Terror: Saudi Arabia and the Global Islamic Jihad
• Saudi Arabia and Counter-terrorism: Rooting out the Weeds of Extremism
• It’s Time for Saudi Arabia to Stop Exporting Extremism
• THE SAUDI CONNECTION: Wahhabism and Global Jihad
• Qatar’s Anti-Saudi Seeds of the Islamist Quartet
• The Saudi–Turkish antagonism
• Iranian and Saudi Cultural and Religious Identities: Constructivist Perspective

I do believe anti-Saudi Arabian exist, and I don't think denying it can help either.

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